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Brian Rowe is a writing fiend, book devotee, film fanatic, and constant dreamer. He’s written nine novels, dozens of short stories, five feature-length screenplays, and hundreds of film articles and essays. He is one half of the blog Story Carnivores, where he reviews the latest in books and film. He is currently pursuing his MA in English at the University of Nevada, Reno, and is hard at work on his next novel. You can also visit his Website or find him on Twitter@mrbrianrowe.

Haunted Eyeball: Welcome to the Haunted Eyeball, Brian! We’re very happy to have you here today and we really enjoyed reading your horror novel Townhouse.

Brian Rowe: Thank you for having me today!

INSPIRATIONS

HE: Let’s get started right at the beginning, Brian. Tell us, which authors did you enjoy while you were growing up?

BR: My favourite author growing up was Stephen King, who I’ve looked up to for probably twenty years now (and I’m only twenty-eight!). I also loved Roald Dahl, Dean Koontz, and, of course, J. K. Rowling. My favourite novel I’ve ever read is Boy’s Life, which I read as a sophomore in high school.

HE: Who are your favourite authors now?

BR: Stephen King remains my favourite author, but lately I’ve been focusing on young adult fiction and have turned to many of these authors for inspiration. I particularly love John Green, David Levithan, Stephen Chbosky, John Corey Whaley, and Emily Danforth.

HE: Which films, TV and music influenced you in your writing and daily life?

Today I am very happy to introduce an interview with Bruce Brown, creator of two graphic novels (so far) which chart the misadventures of young Howard Phillips Lovecraft and ‘explain’ how he became mixed up with the monsters of the Necronomicron.

The latest graphic novel by Bruce and co-written with Dwight L McPherson

Bruce lives in Springfield, Illinois and you can keep up with his latest work and news through Twitter, Facebook, and Amazon. His co-author, Dwight L. MacPherson’s site can be found here.

The Haunted Eyeball’s recent review of the two graphic novels, ‘…Frozen’ and ‘…Undersea’ Kingdom are here.

Starting ut

Haunted Eyeball: Welcome to the Haunted Eyeball, Bruce. Tell us, which authors did you enjoy as you were growing up?

Bruce Brown: I had so little interest in reading as a child because it was a struggle for me. It was my mother who introduced me to comics in an effort to spur my interest in reading. So, when I was young, all the early comic writers of my childhood drew me into comics but more importantly the joys of reading.

What do you like most about the horror genre?

I love the unknown in horror. I am not a big fan of the scare with the gory payoff. The horror genre taps into the depths of the mind that lets you fill in the blanks on what is the scary thing lurking in the shadows is; Lovecraft was the master of this.

Do you have a favourite horror film?

Lately I have been watching the old Dark Shadows television show. Granted, I know it’s not a film (but soon will be – HE), but it had stuck with me so, because it was so elegant and subtle in creating this eerie mood. The horror is just right out of your sight, but you feel it. So, at the moment, that is my favorite horror.

Do any graphic novels or comics influence you?

I would say that Christopher Priest’s run on Black Panther. It was so unique and mesmerizing to me. I had never read anything like it and it showed me comics could tell stories in an incredibly unique way.

Honestly, I have done other books that weren’t all ages, so I let the story I want to tell dictate whether it is all ages or not.

What part of H P Lovecraft’s work would be too dark to touch in these graphic novels?

I think nothing is too dark if it is handled right. There are some extremely dark elements in the Frozen Kingdom but all of them are treated off panel. There are things in the Frozen Kingdom I remember thinking about after the book was done and I was surprised how truly dark it was in certain parts.

Would you be interested in ever doing more adult versions of Mythos stories?

I actually did co write an adult mythos story with my co-writer of the Undersea Kingdom, Dwight L MacPherson. I really enjoyed working on that story, but as far as Lovecraft mythos, I will probably only stick with my boys Howard and Spot.

The art is very lush, did you consciously go with a less ‘cartoony’ style, especially for the more epic scenes?

Absolutely! Both Renzo (Podesta) and Thomas (Boatwright) have such unique styles that they added to the eerie quality of the story. A cartoony style would have been totally wrong destroyed the mood of the whole story. Plus I wanted to mention the beautifully subtle interior cover art of Nicholas Brondo.

How did you decide what parts of Lovecraft’s real life to leave out, and why?

There are so many elements to Lovecraft’s work to play with. I wanted to blend real life things in Lovecraft’s life along with his work. There are key elements to Lovecraft himself I wanted to include in these stories.

It is difficult to choose what elements of his work to use in the stories; just too many wonderful characters and stories to choose from.

Do you hope this will encourage kids to grow up and get into Lovecraft and other horror stories?

Absolutely! I truly hope this will encourage younger readers to check
out Lovecraft’s work when they are older.

The Future

Can you hint at what lies in wait for young Howard and his faithful friend Spot?

The next installment, if sales allow for another, will really ramp things up for Howard and Spot. I think it is important to expand their universe in ways that also explain the real Lovecraft himself; of course done with a unique twist.

Name of the next instalment?

Well it will always be Howard Lovecraft & The……..Kingdom. But the words, Middle, Hidden, and Underground have been tossed around.

When are you expecting it to be released?

Hopefully it won’t be as long as a wait for the next book as there was for this one.

Any final message you’d like to give to the lovely readers of the Haunted Eyeball?

First, I wanted to thank the Eyeball for allowing me to talk about Howard and Spot and their adventures. Also, I wanted to ask its readers to please check out the Howard Lovecraft series! If you are a fan of Lovecraft or never heard of him, to give it a chance; you won’t be disappointed!

James Pratt likes to create realistically flawed but basically decent characters and have them cross paths with serial killer angels, redneck vampires, slithering horrors from other dimensions, and the end of the world. He also likes to write stories that demonstrate how the ever-present darkness threatening to wash over the world like a wave of endless night can be held back with a little courage and a big shotgun (assuming one hasn’t already used both barrels, of course). Some take place in the distant past, others in the far future, and still others somewhere between eight minutes ago and twelve minutes from now. Whether sci-fi, adventure, or straight-out horror, the running theme is that the universe is very, very big and we are very, very small.

I was drawn to Lovecraft by the vast scope of his imagination and ability to convey an absolute sense of cosmic wonder and dread. I now read his works with a more mature and critical eye, but I’m still a humongous fan. His contribution to modern horror is undeniable and the sheer ambition of his stories has yet to be matched.

What do you most enjoy about mixing up genres and mixing in Lovecraft and horror?

I like the idea that the Cthulhu mythos has always been there, subtly infiltrating and influencing history and providing the foundation upon which many myths are legends were unknowingly built. The desolation of the mythic Wild West is a perfect setting for Lovecraftian horror. And the mythos’s fluid nature and resistance to continuity makes it extremely flexible for use in unconventional settings and genres far removed from traditional horror, like say for instance Winnie the Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood. Not that anyone would be sick enough to write a Lovecraftian Winnie the Pooh story, of course.

How do you feel about ‘torture porn’ and other labels ascribed to modern horror films and books?

Unfortunately, in many cases it’s an accurate label. Personally, I find horrors movies that are essentially pretend snuff films extremely boring. I like monsters and supernatural weirdness, not women being raped with chainsaws. Being explicit for its own sake isn’t the same as pushing the envelope. That being said, I have to admit I was fascinated by the wonderful grotesqueness of Clive Barker’s Books of Blood.

What’s the last horror film or book you read or watched?

I’m ashamed to answer this one. I think it was ‘The Convent’, a movie about demonic nuns. It was pretty cheesy, but on the plus side Adrienne Barbeau was in it.

Horror writers can get jaded! What film or book (or picture!) last really scared you?

I found the first ‘Paranormal Activity’ movie genuinely creepy. ‘Insidious’ also had its moments. I loved the demon. And I can still watch ‘The Exorcist’ and feel a bit uneasy. I really wish it was possible to ‘delete’ experiences so you could see a film or read a book for the first time over and over again.

Do you have a survival plan for the end of the world? Which end of world scenario – zombies, bunny overcrowding, owl infestation, would you rather end up facing?

I’ve mapped out which neighbors would be easiest to handle in case I have to resort to cannibalism. My favorite end of the world scenario would of course be the return of the Old Ones. I won’t have to face it though. As a worshipper of Cthulhu, I’ll have the honor of being eaten first.

Which character you’ve created is your favourite (so far)?

I really like my version of Elvis in ‘Cthelvis’ but he’s based on an actual person and to be honest it didn’t take much work to turn the real thing into a wonderfully weird character. If I had to pick one, it would probably be Horton the rockabilly vampire from ‘Horton Hits a Ho’, closely followed by the brothers Sanjay and Umesh from ‘Incident at the 24-7’.

Are vampires losing their bite? (y’know…Twilight…) or is more variety a good thing?

As fictional creatures, vampires can be whatever a given writer wants them to be. That said, I HATE what vampires have become. Dracula wasn’t a love story, it was about ego and obsession. And what happens when you piss off Vengeful God (as opposed to Loving God). When the monster becomes the cool kid, he’s no longer the monster. Or maybe he’s just a different sort of monster, and definitely not the kind you want to root for. To me, Christopher Lee’s Dracula was the quintessential vampire. He wasn’t a hopeless romantic trapped in an immortal body but a monster whose human appearance was just a disguise. Vampires are supernatural parasites. They can’t give, they can only take. But that’s just my opinion. If somebody can make a living writing schlocky romance stories about star-crossed (undead) lovers, more power to them.

Yeah, but they’re all dead. I’m sure there are plenty of writers out there, indie or otherwise, that I would love to collaborate with but like I said, I haven’t even begun to tap the full potential of social media and connect with any of them. I’ve got to get my act together.

And finally…

Any message you’d like to give to the lovely readers of the Eyeball?

If you wish there were more non-conventional books and films out there, then support what you like. YOU determine the market, not the other way around. If you want to make a living doing something creative, don’t wait for the world to come knocking at your door. Go out and create.

Thank you for reading this interview with the wonderful James Pratt, you awesome Eyeballers.

James Pratt likes to create realistically flawed but basically decent characters and have them cross paths with serial killer angels, redneck vampires, slithering horrors from other dimensions, and the end of the world. He also likes to write stories that demonstrate how the ever-present darkness threatening to wash over the world like a wave of endless night can be held back with a little courage and a big shotgun (assuming one hasn’t already used both barrels, of course). Some take place in the distant past, others in the far future, and still others somewhere between eight minutes ago and twelve minutes from now. Whether sci-fi, adventure, or straight-out horror, the running theme is that the universe is very, very big and we are very, very small.

Haunted Eyeball: Who were your favourite author(s) while you were growing up?

James Pratt: That’s a tough one. When I was younger, I didn’t make a point to read any one author. I did discover Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, and Roger Zelazny in high school. If someone had told me I could only read the works of one of them back then, I probably would have chosen Stephen King because he gave me my first real taste of modern horror.

Everything science fiction, fantasy, and horror TV show and movie I’ve ever seen has contributed in some way to every story I’ve ever written. I was a big fan of the gritty sci-fi of the tragically short-lived TV show ‘Space: Above and Beyond’. That’s the only one that readily comes to mind.

Publicity

How do you think social media has helped ‘indie’ writers?

Social media is a great way to market yourself and if you do a good enough job, you can write the stories you want to write and make a living doing something you love on your own terms.

Which ‘social media tools’ do you think connects you most successfully with fans? I.e. from Twitter to Goodreads and Facebook, blogs etc.

I’m not sure. I haven’t done a very good job of using their full potential. Twitter has put me in contact (more or less) with the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time, but I’m not sure just how effective it’s actually been. Each of my tweets is just one among millions.

Explain a bit about your ID picture. Why have you chosen an illustration over a photo of yourself?

My ID picture is the Black Scarab, a pulp superhero-style character from a story I wrote called The Black Scarab in “The Sad, Strange Fate of Evil Eye”. I used that because I think it’s a cool illustration plus I believe that when you get your picture taken the camera can steal your soul. (We think he’s joking… – H.E.)

How do you pick your book cover designs?

A good cover is important, but the amount of thought and effort I put in really depends on how motivated I’m feeling at the time. If the story features a visually striking character there’s a good chance he’ll make it on the cover, otherwise it’s probably going to be just text. I use a program called HeroMachine to create the covers. It’s pretty versatile but primarily for illustrating characters so when designing a cover, its limitations are also a consideration.

How seriously do you take reviews, be they good bad or indifferent!

Pretty serious. I have low self-esteem so I crave validation. Ironically, when someone gives me a good review, I assume they’re just being generous. On the other end of the spectrum, somebody gave all the free stories I had listed on the Barnes and Noble website one star so I had the stories removed. Childish, I know, but if you just want to bash me you should have to pay me first. I also tend to view indifference as a polite way of saying “I didn’t care for it.” I’m a big baby.

Sounds like a reasonable response to us, James.

Thank you for reading Part 2, you awesome Eyeballers.

Part 3 of this interview, where James discusses H P Lovecraft and Horror, is coming up tomorrow!

Welcome back, you Eyeballers. here I present the final section of an exclusive interview with published author Chris Davis, who released an awesome vampire novel called ‘Takers’ last year and is preparing to release its sequel in the next few months.

Chris Davis is back for more. Part three of her interview begins today!

Chris Davis resides in Memphis, Tennessee with her cat, Ramses. She has a Master of Science degree in Project Management and is a novelist, aspiring screenwriter and currently stretches her journalism muscle working for Hawaii Five-0 Online. Chris’s first published novel, a bloody twist on traditional vampires called “Takers,” is now available on Amazon and Smashwords and her personal blog can be found here.

Following yesterday’s discussion about inspiration and publicity, today Chris Davis talks about her vampire novel Takers and the challenge of making the urban fantasy arena her own:

Chris Davis' 'Takers' out now!

Takers

Did you have an audience in mind when you started or did it just come to you?

Oh, this is a fun story. My whole life, I never was into vampires. Not at all. Then – once again because of my work with Hawaii Five-0 Online – I sat down and watched the television series “Moonlight,” which starred Alex O’Loughlin. It was good. And it was the first time I actually thought, “Hey. Vampires. Sexy!”

Then I found out it was based on a book called “Angel of Vengeance” written by an insanely imaginative and very nice man by the name of Trevor O. Munson, who also co-executive produced “Moonlight.” So I got the book from Amazon.com, read it in one sitting, and that night, my main character Detective Kel Langston showed up with his black fedora and hand hiding his face going, “Finally. Now come on, let’s write a book.”

So did I have a particular audience in mind? No. Not really. The story is one that wants to be told, and it will find its audience. Of course I think about vampire fans as I’m writing, but it’s not like what’s happened to the vampire genre recently with sparkly soap opera-like characters that happen to have fangs and be undead. My arena in “Takers” is much more noir-like, and based more on mature adult realism than it is on teenage angst. Also, my vampires don’t stop with your blood. (grins)

How do you handle the homoerotic elements? Did you expect it to be a strong element of Kel’s struggle against his inner potential evil? Do you think he’s in denial?

My first, and simplest answer to this is, “What? I like to watch guys get it on.”

But I’ll back up and be serious for a moment. One of the things that I personally find most alluring about vampires as I see them is how erotic they are or can be. To me, the act of sinking your teeth into your victim and drinking their blood – something which of necessity requires some form of physical contact – is a very intimate act regardless whether it’s actually done in a sexual context.

Many authors have swung toward making vampires be all about sex, while others have minimized that aspect and still others have struck a balance between the two ends of the spectrum. While homoeroticism may be frowned upon in broader circles, my goal is not to please the majority of anything or anyone. My goal is to be true to the story Kel wants told and by default, be true to all the characters he introduces us to.

I don’t have any hang-ups about sexuality one way or the other, so writing about men getting turned on by other men – vampires or not – is never something I’ve had to struggle with doing. It’s not like I put it in there just because I thought readers would like it. I do know that from the feedback I’ve gotten so far that they do, which is really awesome since it’s a part of what the “Takers” world is about.

Yes, one of the things Kel fights so hard in the war between his human half and his Taker half – having both sides is what makes him a Half-Turn – is the fact that it takes very little to turn him on, period. This makes him feel more like an animal or a monster than a human being. Anything from the fabric of his shirt sliding across his skin to simply being in the physical presence of his sire puts him into sexual overdrive. It’s one of the many things he has to learn how to deal with and control and, unfortunately for him, sometimes he learns he can’t no matter how hard he tries. In the second book of the “Takers” series, which comes out this May, there are several times he finds that he can’t control his physical reaction, and in one case he acts on it deliberately – and foolishly – much to his later chagrin.

I don’t think Kel is secretly gay or in denial, no. He’s very much the man’s man who loves women and wants women, unlike his Half-Turn buddy Levi, who’s always been gay from the get-go, even before he was half-turned. But Kel is facing the effect his sire has on him, the effect any Taker has on him, the effect that Feeding and being Fed from has on him and the fact that every sense is heightened beyond reason. Being a Half-Turn is like being one big raw bundle of nerves: it doesn’t take a whole lot to make their sexual side want to take over. Along with having to deal with being a cop who swore to serve and protect, but now has to kill to survive, Kel’s got this inner animal who just wants to – basically – screw and kill, and I think it will always be a fight for him to maintain his humanity in the face of what being a Half-Turn does to his body.

The man with the hat. Kel from Chris Davis' novel, Takers.

You write Kel in the first person, was he a strong character to start with?

He’s an insistent bastard. Am I allowed to say that? (laughs) Well, he is. As I mentioned before, he’s the one who showed up telling me we were going to write a book, and when I say “showed up,” I mean it in the same way any writer does who sees and hears their characters. This guy comes around on his own schedule, and boy, when he does I’d better drop everything and get my fingers on that keyboard. “Takers” is Kel’s story. That’s what it was always meant to be, and it’s his thoughts and feelings, his journey through this nightmare of being changed from a normal human cop into a creature who lives off souls and blood. Everything that happens is through the Kel Filter, which is great fun but also a challenge in that I have to make sure the reader finds out enough about all the other characters through Kel, rather than him being so self-absorbed or introspective that you never get much of a clue about what Ray or Levi or Francisco are all about, or what their motivations are.

Which part of Takers was most fun to write? Which was toughest?

Here, this will give you some insight into me: the most fun parts of “Takers” to write are the homoerotic scenes. (grins) As for the toughest, well, I’m trying to remember if I really had any trouble either in the first or second book with any particular part of it. I think the hardest thing to get used to doing in the first book was making certain that Kel described his surroundings well enough from his first person point-of-view that the reader could get a sense of where he was and what he was seeing.

It’s something my editors had to work with me on, because when you become a character, so that you can write in his voice, you don’t always remember that the reader isn’t inside the character with you, seeing through his eyes. So you have to think to yourself, how would Kel describe this, being a man, a cop, a guy in his thirties, a hard-boiled egg, a Half-Turn? You know he’s not going to get flowery or overly descriptive, but you’ve got to make sure the reader knows that the alleyway is covered in all manner of nasty fluids, or that Marta’s house is made out of brick, or what Kel’s Barracuda looks like bumper to bumper.

I think I found that process a little easier in the second book, but one of my editors has clued me in that I still am struggling with that a bit, so here come the rewrites!

How did it feel to finish that first draft?

“It’s done? Seriously? No freakin’ way.” That about sums it up. Once the shock of it wore off, though, I was very happy that I’d actually finished it, and very anxious to know what my editors thought of it because it’s radically different from anything I’ve ever written before. And believe it or not, I was all about, “Okay, when do I get to write my next one?” (laughs)

What can we look forward to in Takers 2?

Kel’s going to find out more about who his sire Francisco is, and why he (Kel) was half-turned to begin with. Questions are going to arise about who’s really in control of the Los Angeles-based Takers, and Kel’s relationship with Ray becomes really complicated. The title of the second book is now officially “Takers II: Family,” and that’s what it’s all about: family, in the many different forms that can take. There are lots of twists, turns and surprises and…of course…more eroticism – homo and otherwise!

Are there already plans for Takers 3? Do you think it will be an ongoing series or a trilogy?

I know with one hundred percent certainty that there is a Takers III. I have a feeling that Kel’s not going to let me off so easy as to leave it at a trilogy, though. I guess that remains to be seen!

And finally…

Any message you’d like to send out to the lovely readers of the Eyeball?

Listen to Jo. She knows what she’s talking about. If she says something’s good, then it’s good. And she’s a damn good writer herself.

Oh, you wanted some sort of witty personal message from me? Well, all I can say is this: I love writing “Takers” and I hope your Eyeball readers will enjoy reading it just as much. And keep your eyes open. One of these days you might actually see my name up on a movie screen somewhere! (grins)

And on those words, space folded in on itself and Chris disappeared leaving only a flurry of printer ink, flashing red lights and strongly smelling coffee splatters. She will return, though, you can be sure of that! Keep an eye out for Takers 2 and thanks for reading.

That was the last part of the interview with Chris Davis, so please check out her book and her blog, and remember you’re always welcome here at the Haunted Eyeball.